Belly Fat Cure Brunch by Amber Allen-Sauer

My New Years Resolution this year is to develop better friendships, which can be hard to do as an adult, especially when you move. So I invited several friends over to watch the Rachael Ray Show with me last week. (Otherwise, it would have just been me, in my robe, with my morning coffee. And that is just sad, right?) I decided to make a low-sugar Belly Fat Cure-approved brunch for them. They don’t need to lose a pound between them all, but they are very conscious about their children’s diets.

Here is what I made:

Tiny Crustless Quiches – These are really simple and SO good. I modified a recipe from Jorge Cruise’s upcoming Fast Track book. Mine was basically ham-lined mini muffin tins, egg, cream, finely chopped leek and asparagus, pepper, and a little bit of mozzarella cheese. I’m going to make a bunch of these and freeze them. SO GOOD!

Kale Chips – Surprisingly, lots of the women loved these! I’ve wanted to make these since I first started the BFC. The oven was warm from all my baking last night and I had kale in the fridge, so I finally did it. Kale is so good for you I am thrilled to find a fun way to eat it. It is also a great source of calcium. You can Google it and find a dozen different ways to make them. Here is how I did it:

Wash kale, and remove stems. Completely dry and cut/tear into smaller pieces. Toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil and I added 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice and sea salt. Place on a large cookie sheet lined with baking parchment. Cook for 15 minutes at 375, until crunchy.

Yogurt, Berries & Cereal – I had a big bowl of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries with low sugar yogurt next to it. I also had a few different types of low-sugar cereals in glass bowls with a scoop. I was thinking they could mix up a bowl with a little yogurt, fruit, and cereal. The fruit was a hit, but the other stuff was a little clumsy.

Little Nuts & Chocolate – I put a mixture of nuts into mini-muffin liners, then broke pieces of dark chocolate into it. I used every kind of nut we had in the house (pistachios, cashew, pecan, walnut, etc) and a few different types of chocolate that I had on hand.

Cheese Tray – Who doesn’t love a little cheese!

Hummus & Pita Chips – I used Trader Joe’s hummus, but it is easy to make, too. The chips are a little higher in carbs, but totally allowed in moderation. Shop around for the ones with the best S/C Value.

Whole Wheat English Muffins & Nature’s Hollow Preserves – These were a big hit. I have the Nature’s Hollow Sugar-Free Preserves Sweetened with Xylitol and they are wonderful.

Smoked Salmon Plate – I placed smoked salmon on a plate and used an icing tube to make the cream cheese decoration look pretty. I sprinkled chives over the top.

BFC Mimosa – I served the regular Mimosas too, but a few friends humored me and tried this. I served the Champagne with Vitamin Water Zero Rise, which is kind of like Orange Juice. But I really don’t think it was very good, and would rather have my champagne straight up. (So glad it is allowed on the plan!).

Coffee – lots of coffee and cream! Only one person asked for sugar and I have her a Sun Crystal packet 😉

It’s probably the last time any of them will come to my house to eat! But it gives you a little idea of low sugar items you could serve at your own get-together.

© Amber Allen-Sauer. Used by kind permission of the author. What do you think? Please send Amber your comments or questions to Amber.

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